Smoking and Asprin

I really want to quit smoking. I really need to quit smoking. I have had severe breathing problems the last two years.I got patches, chewed gum, ate lifesavers and even went cold turkey.I am alright til I get around others that smoke like friends, neighbors and family that smoke and then I'm doing it again.I get stressed out over something stupid and I do it again.Any advise or suggestions?-And I also eat regular asprin like candy. I can eat 20 at a time. Any advise or suggestions on how to not do this anymore on either subject?

12 replies

On November 21st it will be 2 years that I have stopped smoking. I had tried several times and failed as it wasn’t my time to quit. On November 2, 2008 my husband received his death sentence that he had lung cancer. Did you know that November is lung cancer awareness month as well as stop smoking month. Two weeks after learning that he had lung cancer I was driving home from the hospital smoking what was my last cigarette without me realizing that it would be. I looked at the cigarette and said “You may have gone after my husband but you’re not coming after me.”

I had used the patch previously however; I had started off with step 1 and not paying attention to that step in which is for people who smoke up to 2 packs a day. I had given myself a nicotine overdose. This time I started with step 2 and did that for 2 weeks then I went to step 3 and did that for 1 week even though I was suppose to use it longer. I was allowing myself the chance to live life without a cigarette as you have to change the way you get up in the morning as some people reach for that first cigarette before they go to the bathroom. Not going to say it is easy but if you just visualize yourself as a non-smoker you can do it. Sure even after my husband’s death 7 months later I could have picked that cigarette back up or started drinking or doing drugs to sooth my pain but I grieved in a healthy way. I finally decided to seek therapy after a year and a half.

Many people will say “I have too much stress going on right now to quit” News flash: you will always have stress. Now is a good time to quit and I can breathe now and my clothes smell wonderful.

please stop smoking it is matter of life and death. My sister at 57 both diebetic and smoker since she was 17. She just had heart attack, had no warning, no air for 6 minutes then paramedic's took 4 to 6 minute to get her heart started again, no air for 10 to 15 minutes, damaged brain. body came back no response from the brain. had three plugged up arteries. sugars was up and down. Her family had a hard decision to make… have her in nursing home for years or take her off all life support and let her die. YOU want your family to make that decision on you.

Stop smoking, try anything takes will power… think about your family each time you light up

Hi Frail: In our diabetes class this week our leader told us that she has a patient in the hospital that had horrible diabetes and has a wound on his foot that won't heal. Since he cannot smoke in the hospital he started "smoking" cinnamon sticks. Obviously he doesn't light them but he just puffs on them like a cigarette. He has not only lost the urge to smoke but because of the cinnamon his blood sugar level has dropped drastically. Don't know if it works for everyone but might be worth a try? Also, you need to change your routine. If there are certain times a day that you always have a cigarette, change the pattern. It will take a couple of weeks to change the habit and lessen the craivings but I know that really does help. Hope this has been helpful. Good Luck and God bless.

Bad habits are hard to break when you been doing them forever it seems. I am trying to do right. I am trying to stop my bad habits and trade them for good ones. I need to have more confidence in myself. I know I can do it, but when I start to do good, that little voice inside my head tells me I'm stupid and I'll never be successful at anything I do. I'm not going to give up though. I didn't live this long by giving up.

I was taking so much asprin because of the pain in my lower back, my knees and my teeth. I talked to my doctor about it and he made me stop doing that and just take one asprin a day. I still have all the pain, but if I can get my sugar down by the 17th of December, my knee doctor will set up surgery for a total knee replacement. I'm really scared…There is a chance I could loose my leg. If that happens, I might as well be dead because it won't be long after til the diabetes kills me anyway. My dentist is taking my teeth out two at a time. Won't be long til I'm gumming it. :) I am so screwed!

Bad habits are hard to break, that is for sure. I have some of my own that drive me nuts. What is sounds like though is that you are feeling like giving up on the whole horse and cart when all you need is a new wheel. Make some little goals to get you closer to the points you want to be. You want to have your knee replaced. My mom did hers at 76 and is walking like nothing happened now. She is diabetic, and we worked together to get her recovered. To be honest, she worked her butt off and did it gladly because she wanted to get better.

Does your dentist HAVE to pull all your teeth? What is going on there? If they are the cause of so much pain, I would think removing them would be a blessing. Dentures are not the end of the world. They can just be another battle medal for you. It is all in how you look at things. I know it's hard in the middle of everything, but don't let those things beat you down. Don't let them win the war. They will win a battle or two, but not the whole thing...hang in there.

Is there a reason that you consume so much aspirin? Do you have a chronic pain that you are dealing with? If so there are great specialists that can help you deal with that. So much aspirin cannot be good for your stomach.

As for the smoking, I have friends who have suffered that same set back as you. Don't give up. It often takes several tries to make it work. You know your weaknesses, so shore up your attitude when you are around them so that you have a better chance of surviving them. It is a gripping addiction that those who do not smoke don't understand. My mom used a tooth pick to help her stop. She kept it in her mouth...not so lady like, but then either is smoking. Don't give up, you will do it if you keep trying.

I can list for you many reasons why you shouldn't continue with the habits/addictions that you're mentioning but I think you know them. It sounds like you may have an addictive behavior and that's something that none of us are going to be able to help with. Do you have insurance? Does your insurance (or employer) offer counseling? You may wish to consider speaking with a counselor for these issues because you know that you are hurting yourself with them. Are you taking aspirin for pain or just out of habit? Perhaps a doctor can prescribe something as a one a day medication for pain and/or stress? Only YOU can make the decisions to stop behavior and you've taken the first step by admitting you have a problem. But, sitting there and wishing you can stop something is so different from DOING something about it. It sounds like you've tried on your own so it's time to go to the next level… counseling, support groups, medications, or whatever. Grab the phone and call your local United Way or speak with your employer (confidentially) about the mental health services they provide. My employer offer free employee assistance. My insurance company will pay for ongoing counseling. There are two parts of you that need to be tuned up… mind, body and soul.